Big data is more than just a buzzword. It’s one of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing almost every industry, business and brand today. With the potential value that it holds, investment in big data, machine learning and AI will be crucial for any business that wants to remain relevant through the ages.
noun : extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions.
Each day 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is generated – a number that continues to grow exponentially. While we have seen improvements in the collection of data over recent years, the ability to synthesize meaning from this data is demanding more from engineers and their technology than ever before.
The problem that we face is sorting through these huge chunks of data to separate the noise from what is important to individuals and their organisation. While automation has offered speed, simplicity and efficiency, the ‘why’ is where the untapped value and excitement lies.
“Contextualisation is key. It’s not about just collecting data, it’s about how that data can provide clear information that enables and inspires action”
Richard Spencer, Chief Marketing Officer at Isentia.
Rather than reflecting on past performance, answering the ‘why’ has the potential to lead action that focuses on influencing the tomorrow.
Beyond big data, the ‘why’ behind AI and machine learning may raise new questions. For instance the wider interplay behind machine learnings ability to translate to a language without any knowledge or assumptions about that language.
As teams start to ask these questions, the data starts to be reimagined. The perception of a data point transforms into breadcrumbs of a narrative that can tell a bigger story, and ultimately influence our thinking.
The question is, when big data becomes manageable and meaningful – how fast will it move into being predictive? And even beyond this, be able to simulate what is ‘likely’ to happen.
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
Decision making
You may not trust a computer to make important decisions for you, but it can help guide your choices. Committed to read more in 2018? Amazon will analyse your previous purchasing behaviour to recommend books you might like. If you’d simply like to reconnect with old friends or spend more time with new ones, Facebook will flag friend suggestions for you. If you’re in the market for a new job this year, let LinkedIn’s algorithms suggest jobs you may be interested in or people you should be networking with. Embrace these tools to help cut through the noise and then use your own insight to make decisions on a narrowed, personalised field.
Be more punctual
If you are perennially late and have vowed to be more punctual in 2018, Google Maps is your new best friend, helping you avoid time-sucking activities like getting lost in parking lots or being caught in heavy traffic. Using data from your smartphone, Google is able to provide you with directions to where you parked your car. On the road, Google will analyse your position together with anonymised data from other smartphones to suggest the fastest route to your destination. If driving full-stop is your peeve, then you will be pleased to hear that California authorities will allow self-driving cars to be tested alongside cars driven by humans on roads this year. Experts predict this could result in a 90% reduction in accidents (which will arouse all sorts of ethical debates as to whether humans will still be able to drive cars), 75% less cars on the road and reduce the work commute by almost half.
Boost creativity
With the rise of machine learning comes the fear of job losses. “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race,” Stephen Hawking told the BBC.
An Oxford University survey suggested that 47 per cent of the world’s jobs could be replaced within decades. Autonomous cars present one example of how jobs in transport and logistics may be replaced by robots. With this uncertainty comes the understanding that routine work is far more likely to be automated than jobs requiring skills like creativity or emotional intelligence. Machines may be adept at processing large volumes of data, but they can’t make insightful or creative decisions. The good news is that as machines become smarter, humans are freed from mundane tasks and can become more creative. If you’re in a small business, using accounting products like Xero to manage your financial reporting. This allows you to turn your attention to business boosters like problem solving, improving customer service or creating new products. If you’re in big business, tools like Amazon Transcribe or Amazon Translate can perform laborious tasks like producing and translating documents with lightning speed and accuracy, allowing you to focus on big picture thinking like strategy and profitability.
Stay on top of current affairs
In my work at Isentia, we use machine learning to process seven million news items each day. Not long ago this was a task relegated to humans with the mind-numbing task of flipping through newspapers in search of stories that might relate to a client. Machines trawl video, audio and digital content across more than 5,500 new sites at a rate of 234 stories per second and present meaningful summaries to clients in real-time. Whether a story breaks on Twitter and then spills across news platforms and onto television and radio, machine learning can track and analyse how a story evolves with 99% accuracy. Use these tools to stay on top of the issues or people relevant to your industry – in real time.
Make your mark in 2018
The robots aren’t ‘coming’, they are well and truly here. Without realising, we interact with ‘smart’ technology at almost every touch point of our daily lives. As a technologist, I am excited by machine learning not only because I see its profit boosting value, but also for how much it can improve our working lives each and every day.
If you learn one thing this year, take the time to discover how AI can help you be a more creative and productive version of you in 2018.
Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Isentia is a media intelligence company operating since 1982. The company is backed by over 1,200 employees with 18 offices across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the US. Isentia provides more than 5,000 clients, including many of the world’s leading brands, companies and governments, with media intelligence software and services that help drive more informed and timely business and communication decisions.
Originally featured on Women Love Tech.
" ["post_title"]=> string(60) "Tips For Success: Make A Robot Your Partner In Crime In 2018" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(211) "As artificial intelligence (AI) transitions from novel to normalised in 2018, there are many ways you can integrate advanced technology into your day-to-day life, making you more productive at work and at home. " ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(59) "tips-for-success-make-a-robot-your-partner-in-crime-in-2018" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2019-09-25 03:04:04" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2019-09-25 03:04:04" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(36) "https://isentia.wpengine.com/?p=1986" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }As artificial intelligence (AI) transitions from novel to normalised in 2018, there are many ways you can integrate advanced technology into your day-to-day life, making you more productive at work and at home.
After more than a few false starts, artificial intelligence (AI) is finally here, and it’s powerfully disrupting the way business is done. We don’t need to ask if or when businesses will adopt AI – the question is where and how widely it will be employed.
AI is already a big player in the technology industry. In particular, there is a growing use of AI in IT’s backroom functions like cybersecurity and tech support. A Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) survey of 835 company executives found that nearly half of respondents were using AI to detect and fend off intrusions – the most frequent use of the technology. But a number of other industries are also opting for AI.
In entertainment, companies like Netflix and Amazon are using machine learning to help their movie recommendation engines. Health care has seen myriad applications, including virtual assistants for doctors, apps that can interpret test results and even AI-based spine surgery technology. In the financial sector, AI has been put to work in regulatory compliance and fraud prevention – PayPal uses a combination of its own AI program and human analysts to combat fraud, for example, and HSBC has teamed up with Silicon Valley startup Ayasdi to automate anti-money-laundering investigations.
Worldwide spending on cognitive and AI systems is expected to reach $12.5 billion this year, according to IDC, a whopping increase of 59.3 percent over 2016. Much of this growth is powered by use cases like the examples above. But there’s another area where AI is rapidly being adopted: automated customer service agents, or chatbots as they’re more commonly known.
Customers now expect AI to be used by companies and they are comfortable interacting with the technology (up to a point). Research from HubSpot found that nearly half of people are happy with the idea of buying products from a chatbot. Perhaps more importantly, 40 percent of respondents said they were indifferent about receiving customer support from either a chatbot or human – provided they got the help they needed fast and easily.
Whether patrolling a computer network for intrusions or trawling through financials for signs of fraud, AI is most often employed to intelligently handle vast amounts of data quickly. “AI is best deployed in companies with significant amounts of data and robust data systems,” says Andrea Walsh, Isentia’s CIO.
Gartner predicts that, in 2018, half a billion users will save two hours a day as a result of AI-powered tools. Every time a business gains efficiencies, it saves money – and that is AI’s chief benefit.
AI’s smarter processing power is also helping companies generate more quality leads on new customers, using IBM’s Watson AI, for example. Finding, contacting and closing new sales is a time and resource-heavy activity. But AI-based sales assistants can tirelessly work on reaching out to people, while intelligently analyzing data on leads. This can then be effectively communicated with point-of-sale staff.
When employees hear the word “efficiency,” they often assume it will lead to lay-offs. While there is no question that some jobs will be replaced by AI programs, the naysayers are largely exaggerating their mass-redundancy predictions.
AI is a data-cruncher, and it is often employed to take care of something that didn’t even exist 30 years ago: big data. When it accomplishes its analysis, a human is still needed to interpret the results, such as in cybersecurity and anti-fraud scenarios. Even in the case of customer service chatbots, these will mostly be applied to routine queries and simple support functions, augmented by human representatives for complex problems. “AI should not stand alone as a technology,” say Walsh.
As with all industrial revolutions, AI will create jobs even as it replaces them. There are already glaring shortfalls in STEM-trained employees across the world, and that’s likely to continue as the rapid pace of technological transformation outruns educational reforms. But eventually, new generations will be trained and educated to do jobs created by innovative technologies like AI.
Any business can benefit from AI programs, but when it comes to how broadly they adopt AI, companies need to look at how the technology can augment their existing capabilities. Instead of replacing staff, current AI should be used to support them and put their invaluable human minds to the best use, saving tedious, data-crunching work for the machines. For customers, AI needs to be a helpful, timesaving addition to their experience, and companies should never try to create the false impression that a human is doing the work. People are ready for AI; companies need to be too.
Andrea Walsh, Isentia's Chief Information Officer
" ["post_title"]=> string(51) "Transformative tech: What to expect from AI in 2018" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(134) "It’s official: artificial intelligence has arrived. But how will this disruptive technology transform businesses in the near future?" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(50) "transformative-tech-what-to-expect-from-ai-in-2018" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2019-06-25 08:12:16" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2019-06-25 08:12:16" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(36) "https://isentia.wpengine.com/?p=1971" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }It’s official: artificial intelligence has arrived. But how will this disruptive technology transform businesses in the near future?
As the campaign began, election coverage was dominated by cost-of-living pressures, leadership scrutiny, and policy promises, with both major parties positioning themselves as the answer to Australians' economic concerns. Labor’s pledge to crack down on supermarket price gouging and the Coalition’s push for fuel excise cuts framed a debate over immediate financial relief versus long-term economic stability.
Meanwhile, discussion on social media took time to catch up with the news cycle, and reflected both frustration and polarisation, with content on tax policy, government spending, and leadership trustworthiness fuelling engagement. The campaign’s tone was further shaped by high-profile moments, including Senator Jacqui Lambie’s emotional exchange over public service cuts and Peter Dutton’s push to capitalise on voter discontent, reinforcing the election’s framing as a referendum on economic management.
Financial stability, such as supermarket pricing, fuel costs, and tax changes. Leadership trust and credibility are also key drivers of attention, with moments of high emotion or political confrontation.
On the heels of the federal budget announcement on March 24, which forecasts a decade of deficits, news coverage highlighted the Albanese government’s focus on energy bill relief and Medicare spending to appeal to voters. Treasurer Jim Chalmers linked the budget to rising global uncertainties, including the impact of US President Trump’s trade agenda.
Coverage framed the campaign as a contest over economic management, with viral headlines emphasising Labor’s energy bill relief and the Dutton’s fuel excise cuts. A widely shared ABC analysis dissected the competing tax plans, while a Reddit thread debating the impact of Dutton’s fuel excise proposal gained thousands of comments. Meanwhile, opposition leader Peter Dutton's response positioned the Liberal Party as prioritising immediate cost-of-living relief, sparking mixed reactions online. Both major parties are also expected to prioritise domestic gas supplies, with the Liberals proposing a gas reservation scheme, a move likely to be mirrored by Labor—an issue that has driven heated debate on social platforms.
As cost-of-living issues dominate, media outlets underscore the increasingly fragmented political landscape, with minor parties gaining traction and complicating the path to a majority government.
Social media discussions on the 2025 Australian federal election are increasingly centred on energy and housing policies, particularly Peter Dutton's plans. Housing affordability has emerged as a key concern, fueled by moments like Prime Minister Albanese being heckled over handling of the housing crisis. A far-right vlogger interrupted Albanese's press conference in Brisbane, linking the housing issue to immigration—a narrative gaining traction online. On platforms like Reddit and Instagram, users question the credibility of Dutton’s energy price cut proposals, with his refusal to release modelling drawing criticism. Protests, like the one at Brisbane’s XXXX Brewery on March 29, further fuel debate over his stance on gas and nuclear energy. A popular quote from Jason Clare, shared by The Project TV, added fuel to the fire: "This is a distraction from his nuclear reactor policy which is about as popular now as a fart in an elevator."
This combination of frustration, disbelief, and growing scrutiny highlights the importance of accessible, relatable political messaging, especially as voters increasingly turn to online platforms to engage with election issues.
Attention was heavily focused on Peter Dutton's criticisms of Prime Minister Albanese, with his claims that Australia is "going backwards" and promises of "relief now" drawing backlash. Critics have pointed out Dutton’s apparent alignment with US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and policies, leading to comparisons between the two leaders. On March 27, a widespread reaction emerged questioning why Albanese would invite Trump to Australia, suggesting it was a politically risky move. Meanwhile, the debate surrounding the federal budget heated up, with Albanese's government unveiling new tax cuts for workers ahead of the election, only for the Shadow Treasurer to declare that they would repeal these cuts if the Liberals won.
Coming out of the Federal Budget, social media audiences shared mixed reactions, with many pushing for more progressive measures like taxing the fossil fuel industry to fund universal basic services and addressing wealth inequality with The Guardian's explainer video drawing attention to the line "lots of little treats" promised for Australians. As the election approaches, a recurring theme in the commentary is the desire for systemic change.
Leading social media posts from March 24–30, 2025, highlight public frustration with key election issues: cost of living, Trump’s influence, tax cuts, and gas and energy policy.
A viral Reddit post warning of how a Liberal victory could cost around 40,000 public service jobs, sparked debate on outsourcing and economic fallout. Concerns over Trump-style politics intensified after journalist Quentin Dempster warned of ABC defunding under Dutton. Jim Chalmers’ 7.30 interview gained traction for exposing inconsistencies in Dutton’s tax stance. Meanwhile, a protest at Brisbane’s XXXX Brewery against Dutton’s gas and nuclear policies ignited further debate over energy costs.
These discussions reflect mounting scepticism over political promises on affordability, fairness, and sustainability.
Media coverage has framed the election as a contest over economic management, focusing on tax cuts, Medicare, and cost-of-living relief. Meanwhile, social media tells a more polarised story, with viral posts amplifying concerns about public service cuts, leadership trust, and Trump-style politics. While traditional outlets highlight policy promises, online conversations centre on credibility and systemic change. As the campaign unfolds, will media narratives align with voter priorities, or will audience-driven discourse take the lead?
As the election campaign progresses, the question remains: Will political leaders adjust their approach to reflect public sentiment, or will the disconnect between media coverage and voter priorities continue to shape the debate?
" ["post_title"]=> string(100) "Setting the stage for election 2025: early media narratives & social media’s growing influence" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(58) "setting-the-stage-for-election-2025-early-media-narratives" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2025-04-03 02:09:51" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2025-04-03 02:09:51" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(32) "https://www.isentia.com/?p=38758" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }As the campaign began, election coverage was dominated by cost-of-living pressures, leadership scrutiny, and policy promises, with both major parties positioning themselves as the answer to Australians’ economic concerns. Labor’s pledge to crack down on supermarket price gouging and the Coalition’s push for fuel excise cuts framed a debate over immediate financial relief versus long-term […]
While renewables like wind and solar are often framed as the future of energy, the renewables market faces many challenges in seeing that journey through, especially regarding Australia’s Paris climate agreements. The path to a clean energy future in Australia is fraught with disruptions and distractions, as media reports, and exploring the factors shaping media coverage of energy alternatives and clean energy reveal a shifting understanding of renewable energy sources.
Peak media coverage of renewables centres on government actions seen as hindering clean energy progress. Stories like keeping Eraring operational, nuclear energy debates, and delays in environmental law reforms highlight a perception of indecision on ecological issues. While traditional media spikes around policy updates, social media discussions are steadily growing, reflecting increasing public engagement with Australia’s renewable energy transition. Analysing these trends reveals how media narratives shape and respond to audience perceptions in this evolving debate.
Renewable energy is widely hailed as a cleaner, cheaper, and more stable alternative to fossil fuels, but media and social discussions paint a more complex picture. Concerns about affordability and feasibility are growing, driven by economic shifts, supply chain issues, and the lingering effects of the 2022 energy crisis, which media attribute to cold snaps and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, all while Australia remains heavily reliant on coal and gas exports.
Topics like grid overload, the need for better battery subsidies, and the failure of taxpayer-funded rebates to support solar businesses dominate conversations. Meanwhile, wind farms face local opposition due to environmental and land use impacts, and debates over nuclear energy disrupt investment in solar and wind, further complicating Australia’s clean energy strategy.
Nuclear energy’s potential introduction into Australia’s future energy mix has further unsettled renewables investors, with media highlighting concerns over its impact on wind and solar investments. For more context listen to our podcast interview with Pablos Holman, General Partner at Deep Future. Wind energy faces criticism for using taxpayer funds to benefit private companies, while hydrogen’s future is uncertain following high-profile project withdrawals by Fortescue and Origin. The media’s portrayal of these issues underscores ongoing public and industry doubts about Australia’s renewable transition and the role of nuclear in the energy debate.
Watch below the shifts in coverage of significant policies and strategies over time to understand why some strategies stay in the headlines while others peter out.
The Labor government’s flagship Future Made in Australia Bill is central to its energy vision and, in November, was passed to support a net-zero transition. The May budget highlighted turning Australia into a renewable energy superpower with dedicated funds for solar, battery, and hydrogen projects. However, the opposition has framed hydrogen and critical minerals tax breaks as "corporate welfare". Over time, it looks like Labor’s Future Made in Australia Bill is at a tug of war for media attention against the opposition’s nuclear strategy. Australia’s energy future, however, is not wholly detached from fossil fuels. Labor's Future Gas Strategy positions gas as a necessary transition fuel while being central to Australia’s energy and export sectors.
Climate activists criticise the Future Gas Strategy for extending Australia's reliance on fossil fuels. Media critics call it another "broken promise" by the Albanese government, highlighting mismanagement that has negatively affected energy supply and costs. Though the "Future Made in Australia" narrative around energy security resonates with many, the government’s conflicting strategies raise questions about long-term benefits and who truly gains from its policies.
Australia's shift to clean energy faces complex debates and conflicting government signals, from promoting renewables to considering nuclear power. Despite loud voices in the media advocating for taxpayers and businesses, deeper media analysis reveals multiple layers and motives behind their arguments.
Interested in learning more? Email us at info@isentia.com
" ["post_title"]=> string(84) "Insights into media and public perceptions towards Australia’s clean energy future" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(62) "media-and-public-perceptions-of-australias-clean-energy-future" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2025-02-11 23:39:54" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2025-02-11 23:39:54" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(32) "https://www.isentia.com/?p=35913" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }While renewables like wind and solar are often framed as the future of energy, the renewables market faces many challenges in seeing that journey through, especially regarding Australia’s Paris climate agreements. The path to a clean energy future in Australia is fraught with disruptions and distractions, as media reports, and exploring the factors shaping media […]
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